24.219.512    LICENSURE OF OUT-OF-STATE LCSW APPLICANTS

(1) A license to practice as a social worker in Montana may be issued to the holder of an out-of-state social worker license at the discretion of the board, provided the applicant completes and files with the board an application for licensure and the required application fee. The applicant must meet the following requirements:

(a) The applicant holds a valid and unrestricted license to practice as a social worker in another state or jurisdiction, which was issued under standards equivalent to or greater than current standards in this state. Official written verification of such licensure status must be received by the board directly from the other state(s) or jurisdiction(s).

(b) The applicant holds a Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW) or an equivalent Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)-approved degree, and shall supply a copy of the certified transcript sent directly from a college, university, or institution accredited by the CSWE.

(c) The applicant shall supply proof of successful completion of the Association of Social Work Boards' (ASWB) clinical examination or another board-approved licensing examination. The ASWB generalist examination is not an approved examination for purposes of obtaining licensure as a clinical social worker. Applicant scores on the examination must be forwarded directly to the board.

(d) The applicant shall submit proof of completion of 3000 hours of supervised social work experience as defined in 37-22-301, MCA. The applicant may verify the experience hours by affidavit, and need not supply a supervisor's signature upon reasonable explanation of why the supervisor's signature is unavailable to the applicant.

(e) The applicant shall submit proof of continuous practice as a social worker in another jurisdiction for the two years immediately preceding the date of application in Montana.

(f) The applicant shall submit three reference letters as provided in 37-22-301, MCA.

(g) The applicant shall answer questions about the applicant's character and fitness to practice on a form prescribed by the board, and the applicant shall provide all information required by the board in response to these questions.

(2) All applicants must submit the fingerprint and background check required by the board.

(3) The board may verify qualifications for licensure by reference to information supplied in an applicant's official record with the national registry of the ASWB. The applicant must request that this information be provided to the board in the manner required by the ASWB and the board. The applicant shall be solely responsible for paying any fee associated with this service. 

(4) An applicant for licensure by endorsement in Montana may be granted a temporary permit to practice clinical social work, provided the applicant has submitted a completed application as described in this subchapter and that the initial screening by board staff shows that the current license is in good standing and not on probation or subject to ongoing disciplinary action. The temporary permit will remain valid until a license is granted or until notice of proposal to deny license is served, whichever occurs first. In the event that neither contingency has occurred within one year of issuance of the temporary permit to the endorsement applicant, the temporary permit shall expire and may not be renewed.  

History: 37-1-131, 37-1-319, 37-22-201, MCA; IMP, 37-1-131, 37-1-304, 37-1-305, 37-22-301, MCA; NEW, 1997 MAR p. 986, Eff. 6/3/97; TRANS, from Commerce, 2004 MAR p. 1477; AMD, 2014 MAR p. 2471, Eff. 10/10/14; AMD, 2016 MAR p. 221, Eff. 2/6/16.